Coin stick



C. E. COOK COIN STICK Aug. 22, 1961 Filed May 17, 1960 ,United States Patent() 2,996,864 COIN STICK Charles E. Cook, Inglewood, Calif. (611 30th St., Hermosa Beach, Calif.) Filed May 17, 1960, Ser. No. 29,758 4 Claims.` (Cl. 53-254) This invention relates to apparatus for packing coins in a coin wrapper and, more particularly, to a tool referred to herein as a coin stick for manually facilitating the wrapping of coins in a conventional type coin wrapper.

Conventional coin wrappers are made out of paper which are packed in a iiattened shape and which are opened or rolled in a cylindrical shape, for wrapping of coins. Machines have been developed for automatically packing a predetermined number of coins in such coin wrappers. However, such machines are complicated and quite expensive. The machines, accordingly, have utility where relatively large numbers of coins are frequently to be packed. For applications, such as for home use, where relatively small numbers of coins are to be packed, or coins are to be infrequently packed, the coins are manually Wrapped. Manual coin wrapping is a time consuming operation, especially for individuals who wrap coins infrequently. Further, the percentage of counting errors for manual coin wrapping is quite high.

In a specific illustrative embodiment of this invention, atool for facilitating the manual packing of pennies is provided which is referred to herein as a coin stick. The coin stick considerably increases the rate of coin wrapping and automatically provides an indication of a correct count. The coin stick has two tubes having particular predetermined dimensions in accordance with the size and number of coins to be packed in the wrapper. The first tube, referred to as a support tube, has an outer diameter which is smaller than the outer diameter of the coin to be packed. The support tube has an outward extending flange at one end and an inward extending Vflange at its other end. The coin wrapper is rounded to form a substantially cylindrical shape and drawn over the inward extending flange of the support tube. The outward extending flange of the support tube is utilized to form a small arcuate flange at the end of the paper wrapper to facilitate the insertion of the second tube, referred to herein as a filler tube, into the wrapper. The wrapper is removed from the support tube and reversed on the support tube with the unflanged end of the wrapper now abutting the outward extending flange of the support tube. The filler tube is then inserted into the anged end of the paper Wrapper and over the inwardly extending flange of the support tube with the insertion of the iiller tube into the Wrapper being limited by a stop of shoulder on the outer peripheral surface of the ller tube. The stop on the iiller tube and the outwardly extending flange on the support tube determine the number of coins to be wrapped.

The iiller tube has an inner diameter which is larger than the diameter of the coin to be packed and an outer `diameter which is just smaller than the inner diameter of the coin wrapper. The filler tube walls are quite thin to provide for such dimensions. The iiller tube has a funnel at one end to facilitate the insertion of coins therein, and a slit or opening for providing an indication of the insertion of a predetermined number of coins through the funnel. As the coins are dropped into the funnel, they align themselves transversely to the longitudinal axis of the tubes. The end of the inward extending ilange of the support tube forms an abutting surface for aligning the coins as they are dropped into the ller tube.

After the coins are inserted in the filler tube, the

2,996,864 Patented Aug. 22., 1961 ICC wrapper is moved up on the support tube to clear a scribe line on the support tube. The ller tube is then removed from the wrapper and both ends of the Wrapper are folded over. The cleared scribe line provides an indication that the coins in the wrapper are equidistantly spaced from the ends of the wrapper.

Features of this invention accordingly relate to the provision of a tool for facilitating the packing of coins and for automatically providing an indication of a predetermined number of coins to be packed.

Further advantages and features of this invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following description when read in conjunction with the drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded pictorial view of the coin stick of this invention and of the coin wrapper in its collapsed or flattened condition;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the support tube of the coin stick of this invention with the coin in position over the support tube for forming a flange at one end of the coin wrapper;

I FIGURE 3 is a side view of the filler tube of the coin stick of this invention illustrating how it is inserted into the flanged end of the paper wrapper;

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the coin stick of this invention illustrating the assembly of the Wrapper and two tubes for the insertion of the coins;

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the coin lled wrapper and coin stick illustrating the step of closing one end of the wrapper; and

FIGURE 6 is a top pictorial view of the coin iilled wrapper and support tube of the coin stick of this invention illustrating the step of closing the second end of the wrapper.

Referring first to FIGURE l. the coin stick 9 includes a support tube 10 and a filler tube 11. When the coin stick 9 is not in use, the ller tube 11 is positioned over the support tube 10 against an outwardly extending ange 15 of the tube 10 to form a compact assembly. As is hereinafter described, the flange 15 at one end of the support tube 10 is at a predetermined distance from its other end 21. The length of the tube 10 is designed for packing a predetermined number of coins in the Wrapper 25. The outer diameter of the support tube 10 is smaller than the outer diameter of the coin to be packed.

Assume, for example, that the coin stick 9 is designed for packing 50 pennies in a conventional 50penny paper wrapper 25 shown also in FIGURE 1. The outer diameter of the support tube 10 is, illustratively, 1% inch whereas the diameter of a penny is slightly more than 3A inch. The tube 10 has an inwardly extending llange 12 closed by the end 21. The end 21 of the support tube 10, as is hereinafter described, forms a support surface for aligning the pennies transversely in the iiller tube 11 when the coins are being packed.

The filler tube .11 has an inner diameter whichV is greater than the diameter of the pennies to be packed in the wrapper 25. lIllustratively, the inner diameter may be 4%4 inch. The filler tube 11 is designed to t into the coin wrapper 25 and, accordingly, has an outer diameter just smaller than the inner diameter of the coin wrapper 25. Illustratively, the outer diameter of the filler tube 11 may be 2%2 inch. The outer diameter of the filler tube 11 may be identical to the inner diameter of the wrapper 25 because the Wrapper 25 being made of paper may be stretched slightly, and because, as is hereinafter described, a flange is formed at one end of the wrapper 25 to facilitate inserting the tube 11 in the wrapper 25.

In order to utilize the coin stick 9 for packing 50 pennies in the coin wrapper 25, the two tubes and 11 are separted and, as a rst step, the end 12 of the tube 10 is inserted into one end of the wrapper 25. The tube .10 is moved into the wrapper 25 until the end of the wrapper 25 abuts the flange 15. The tube 10 is thereupon rotated in the wrapper 25 while the Wrapper 25 is pushed against the flange 15. As illustrated in FIGURE 2, a paper flange 17 outwardly extending at the end of the wrapper 25 is, in this manner, formed. The rotation of the tube 10 in the wrapper 25 serves the additional function of fully rounding the shape of the wrapper. The outer diameter of the tube 10 is somewhat smaller than the inner diameter of the wrapper so that the wrapper 25 easily fits over the tube 10 even when the wrapper 25 is not perfectly round. The smoothing of the wrapper shape facilitates the wrapping of the coins.

After the flange 17 is formed, the wrapper 25 is removed from the tube 10. The end of the wrapper 25 opposite the formed flange 17, is then fitted over the flange 12 of the support tube 10 and moved against the shoulder 15. As depicted in FIGURE 3, the formed flange 17 at the end of the wrapper facilitates the insertion of an end 24 of the filler tube 11. The end 24 of the filler tube 11 is open so that coins may enter the wrapper 25 through the illler tube 11. The end 24 is inserted into the flanged end 17 of the paper wrapper 25 until the flanged end 17 abuts a shoulder or ring 19 on the filler tube 11. The shoulder 19 is at a predetermined distance from the end 24 of the ller tube 11 to facilitate the provision of a visual indication of the packing of 50 pennies. The visual indication is provided through a slot or transparent area 20 in the tube 11 adjacent the funnel 18.

The assembly consisting of the two tubes 10 and 11 of the coin stick 9 and the wrapper 25 in position for packing the 50 pennies is illustrated particularly in FIG- URE 4. The wrapper is illustrated in phantom. The assembly, including the tubes 10 and 11 in the wrapper 25, is held in an approximately vertical position with the tube 11 being above the wrapper 25 and the tube 10. One end of the wrapper 25 is against the flange `15 of the tube 10 and the other end is against the shoulder 19 of the tube 11. 'I'he end 24 of the tube 11 fits over the flange 12 of the tube 10 and inside the end of the wrapper 25. The tube 11 and the tube 10 as well may be made of stainless steel illustratively of the 1AS1 300 series and may be quite thin. Such steels are utilized for surgical tools and some are occasionally referred to as surgical steels.

With the coin stick 9 and wrapper 25 assembled as shown in FIGURE 4, the coins may be dropped into the funnel 418 of the tube 11. The coins fall through the tube 11 against the end 21 of the support tube 10. The end 21 has a diameter which is substantially smaller than the diameter of the pennies so that the first penny is aligned to lie flat against the end 21 and the succeeding pennies are similarly aligned transversely to the longitudinal axes of the tubes 10 and 11 and the wrapper 25. The pennies are successively dropped into the funnel 18 until a penny is viewed through the slot 20. When a penny is viewed through the slot 20, it serves as an indication that 50 pennies have been dropped into the filler tube 11. The length of the tube 10 from the flange 15 to the flattened end 21, and the length of the tube 11 from its end 24 to the shoulder 19 are the two essential dimensions in determining the number of pennies counted to provide the visual indication at the slot 20. The distance in FIGURE 4 equal 50 times the height of a penny, which distance is approximately 3.125 inches.

After a visual indication is provided at the slot 20, the operator holds the wrapper 25 in one hand and the flange 15 of the tube 10 in the other and raises the wrapper together with the filler tube 11 away from the support tube 10. The coins remaining in their transverse alignment against the ends 21 of the support tube 10 are i effectively moved in or fall through the filler tube 11 into the wrapper 25. Another way of visualizing the operation is that the wrapper 25 is moved along the stationary pennies supported by the tube 10.

The support tube 10 is partially withdrawn from the wrapper 25 until a scribed line 22 shown particularly in FIGURE l becomes visible. The line 22 provides an indication to the operator that the 50 pennies are approximately centered in the coin wrapper 25. FIGURE 4 in phantom and FIGURE 5 in solid lines illustrates the position of the tube 10 with respect to the wrapper 25 at this position with the scribed line 22 just visible. As illustrated in FIGURE 5, the pennies 26 are stacked on the end 2 of the tube 10.

As also depicted in FIGURE 5, the filler tube 11 is then removed from the wrapper 25 and the upper end of the wrapper 25 is folded over to enclose the pennies. The wrapper 25 enclosing the pennies and the support tube 10 are thereupon inverted, and as depicted in FIG- URE 6, the support tube 10 is removed from the other end of the wrapper 25. The other end of the wrapper 25 is then folded over to complete the wrapping procedure for the 50 pennies.

The coin stick 9, in this manner, functions to facilitate the wrapping of a predetermined number of coins in a coin wrapper. The following are illustrative dimensions of the tubes 10 and 11:

Inches Overall length of tube 10 4 Axial length of flange 17 fyi@ Maximum diameter of flange v17 1 Outer diameter of tube 10 3A Axial length of flange 12 :M6 Minimum diameter of flange 12 1/2 Distance of scribe line 22 to the end 21 1/2 Overall length of tube 11 4%@ Outer diameter of tube 1L 2%; Slot 20 circumferential length *lig Height of slot 20 Va Maximum diameter of funnel 18 1% Distance from shoulder 17 to the funnel end of tube 11 3%,

The specific illustrative embodiment has been described with reference to the packing of 50 pennies in a coin wrapper 25. It is apparent, however, that the dimensioning of the tubes 10 and 11 may be changed to facilitate the packing of other coins in other predetermined amounts. Illustratively, to facilitate the packing of dimes, the same exact support tube 10 may be utilized but a different filler tube is provided to cooperate therewith. A combination of a single support tube 10 and two different filler tubes can be utilized to pack either pennies or dimes. The filler tube 11 would be slightly smaller in diameter and the shoulder 17 would be a different longitudinal position to facilitate providing an indication of a number of dimes to be packed which may differ from the number of pennies. Although this invention has accordingly been disclosed and illustrated with reference to particular applications, it is apparent that the principles involved are susceptible of numerous other applications which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tool for facilitating the packing of a predetermined number of coins into a cylindrical coin wrapper, including, a support tube having an inwardly extending flange at one end and an outwardly extending flange at the other end, said tube having an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of the coins to be packed in the cylindrical coin wrapper, and a predetermined longitudinal length from the outwardly extending flange to the smaller end of the inwardly extending flange; and a filler tube having an inner diameter greater than the diameter of coins to be packed and an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical coin wrapper, and including a shoulder for limiting the insertion of the iiller tube into the coin wrapper, said shoulder being at a predetermined distance "from the end of the flller tube inserted in the coin wrapper.

2. A tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein said filler tube denes a slotted opening adjacent its end which is not inserted in the coin wrapper for providing a visual indication of the insertion of a predetermined number of coins in the iiller tube.

3. A tool in accordance with claim 2 including a visual marking on Said support tube at a predetermined distance from the smaller end of the inwardly extending flange of said support tube for providing an indication of the approximate centering of the predetermined number of coins in the coin wrapper.

4. A tool for facilitating the packing of a predetermined number o coins into ia cylindrical coin wnapper, including, a cylindrical member having an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of the coins to be packed in the cylindrical coin wrapper, said member having a flange for limiting the insertion of said member into the cylindrical coin wrapper, and a predetermined length Ifrom the flange to the end of the cylindrical member inserted in the coin wrapper; and a filler tube having an inner diameter greater than the diameter of coins to be packed and an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical coin wrapper, and including a shoulder for limiting the insertion of the ller tube into the coin wrapper, said shoulder being at a predetermined distance from the end of the ller tube inserted in the coin wrapper.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,274,615 Sherwood Aug. `6, 1918 1,457,261 Mathewes May 19, 1923 1,710,086 Downey Apr. 23, 1929 2,355,201 Blackstone Aug. `8, 1944 2,532,603 Carper Dec. 5, 1950 

